Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race

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Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore's Inner Harbor in central Maryland. The eight-hour race covers 15 miles-mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand.

The 2011 Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race will be Saturday, May 7. Preparations begin at AVAM at 8am; the race starts at 9:30am and continues all day through the city until finishing at AVAM roughly 3:30pm-5:00pm. See you there! For an idea what to expect, see last year's Spectator's Guide.

via baltimore.org

Fell's Point Ghost Walk

This award-winning haunted walking tour guarantees thrills and chills if you're looking for things to do in Baltimore.

"Picture Fell's Point, in Baltimore, Maryland, as it was, a rowdy seaport town, the birthplace of the sleek and dangerous clipper ship. Its streets full of sailors from foreign lands spilling off ships, immigrants anxious to start a new life, ladies of the night looking to make ends meet, and all the characters looking to make a living off the maritime industry. Given this explosive combination, is it any wonder that many spirits remained behind? Join us under the cover of night to explore the many haunted pubs, shops, and residences. But don't stray too far from the group because you never know when you'll find yourself face to face with the unknown."

TICKET INFORMATION

SEE JERSEY BOYS IN BALTIMORE

Jersey Boys

February 2, 2011 - February 27, 2011 | 12:00pm - 12:00pm

Hippodrome Theatre at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
12 N. Eutaw Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

"Too Good To Be True!?" raves the New York Post for JERSEY BOYS, the 2006 Tony® Award-winning Best Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, The Four Seasons. 

This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide-all before they were 30! 

JERSEY BOYS, is the winner of the 2006 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show album most recently, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, features their hit songs, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Rag Doll, Oh What a Night and Can't Take My Eyes Off You. 

Come See the show while it's here!!!

TICKETS

ONE OF GREEKTOWN'S BEST

Located in the part of Baltimore affectionately called “Greektown”, Ikaros Restaurant has served exceptional Greek fare from the same location and under the same management and head chef since 1969 Ikaros is a family-run restaurant serving hearty portions of classic Greek cuisine in an atmosphere that is family-oriented, relaxing and down-to-earth.  We have been going to Ikaros for years, and the kitchen consistently turns out tasty meals.   

On a recent visit, we started off with Taramasalad (a mixture of mashed potatoes, fish roe and olive oil) and the traditional spinach and feta pie. Both were perfect renditions of the classic dishes. For an entrée, I picked the Hellenic Surf-and-Turf.  This dish really should be called Surf-and-Surf-and-Turf because it included a generous portion of tender fried squid, a crab cake full of large lumps of crabmeat, and 2 perfectly cooked small lamb chops.  This delicious dish was an amazing value.  

When you go to Ikaros, be sure to look at the pictures and paintings. Most of them were done by the multi-talented Xanos Kohilas, one of the owners of Ikaros.  The restaurant is located at 805 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224.  They are open from 11:00 am until 10:00 pm daily, but  closed on Tuesdays.  

                

Ikaros exemplifies what the locals like best about Baltimore restaurants – nothing flashy, just great food at reasonable prices.   

www.ikarosrestaurant.com/

GREAT MEXICAN FOOD IN HIGHLANDTOWN?!?!

For many years the Baltimore community of Highlandtown was a center for the Greek Community. There are still excellent Greek restaurants there (like Ikaros) which have offered consistently good food for years. However, recently there have been some Hispanic restaurants opening in the area, and one of them was voted Baltimore’s Best in 2010. The name is Mi Viejo Pueblito, and recently we decided to bypass our usual Greek hangouts and give it a try. We found the restaurant to be a very pleasant space with lacey cut-outs hanging from the ceiling and a small fountain – giving you the feel of a Mexican courtyard.   It would be fun to take a large group there, couples may find it hard to talk on a night it is crowded. On the night we went (early), there were few diners, so we enjoyed ourselves. Our waitress was extremely pleasant. 

The menu had some of the usual items that you expect at a Mexican restaurant, but it also had some less common items. We found the Mole sauce to be exceptional - a rich blend of spices with the required chocolate base. We had it both as an appetizer (one of a trio of enchiladas, each with a different filling and sauce) and as an entree (over a chicken leg and thigh). We actually preferred the enchilada, only because the chicken was messier to eat, but the mole is definitely a standout.   The Tacos Arabes was a flour wrap with a rich slow-cooked Chipotle pork filling. Other unusual items on their menu included grilled cactus and cactus salad,  Parrilladas (a twist on the more common fajitas) and Tortas (Mexican-style sandwiches). I understand why Mi Viejo was voted Baltimore's Best Mexican restaurant, and we will be returning there again soon.  

miviejopueblito.net/

I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO HOWL ABOUT...

Howl at the Moon is a chain with bars in 14 locations stretching across the US.  Not having been in any of the others, I had nothing to compare the Baltimore version to other than typical chain establishments.  Where Howl At The Moon differs is in the entertainment they provide, dueling pianos.  It isn’t just a bar, it is more like a nightly show. 

I can safely say I have never seen a show like this one before at a bar.  They had 2 piano players on stage along with a drummer.   These guys played all kinds of music from the 70’s through today’s hits, and took requests all night without being stumped once. The piano players made all feel welcome and had a great repertoire. Unlike many bars, there was a wide range of ages in the audience, partly because the piano players cover so many musical eras.  The crowd really got into the songs, and it was much more interactive than your standard bar.  There were also a lot of large groups there, bachelorette and birthday parties .  This is something the management encourages and they hold drawings for large group Happy Hour give-aways. 

The only negative to report is the watered-down drinks.  If you are drinking mixed drinks expect to shell out some cash if you want to feel the alcohol.  Stick with beer or shots and you will save some money. 

The experience was not exactly the most refined, but if you are looking for some loud tacky fun that will appeal to a wide range of ages, I can’t think of a better place to party.

www.HowlAtTheMoon.com       

THE CHARM CITY CIRCULATOR

That all changed recently with the introduction of the Charm City Circulator (the CCC).  The totally free shuttle service was a part of former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon’s vision of a cleaner, greener Baltimore and the service is an innovative addition to the transportation options in Baltimore. 

The designers of the shuttle service were interested in doing it in the cleanest way possible. It is intended to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas pollution by offering a convenient, reliable and eco-friendly form of public transportation.   The fleet consists of 21 shuttles which continuously travel along 3 routes that link the CCC to other transportation systems and that stop at most Baltimore attractions.  All of the shuttle buses are Hybrid Electric vehicles. It is the first fleet of this type in a major metropolitan area.  Taking advantage of the latest innovations in communications technology, the CCC offers a service which combines GPS data with predictive software to give arrival times for the next few vehicles. You can get Mobile Alerts with updates from a live-time Bus Tracker and Service Updates about each of the three routes. With accessibility being of the utmost importance, the CCC website offers information on the parking options located right near the CCC routes.  They have also taken bikers into consideration and offer information on where bike lids are available for secure storage.

Baltimore residents, students and visitors are all encouraged to try the new service.  It can be used as a connector to a commuter train, commuter parking lot or subway stop.  Visitors can use it to get from attraction to attraction.  As an added bonus, CCC riders can get a free transfer to take the Baltimore Water Taxi from 2 different CCC stops to the Tide Point development.  On a beautiful day, this is a fun way to see the Inner Harbor on the way to dining at one of the new restaurants in the Tide Point development.   The Charm City Circulator is a great addition to the transportation options in Baltimore and has taken the challenge out of getting around the city.      

www.charmcitycirculator.com